Best of Britain: The Hebrides by bus and boat

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Stepping ashore on Iona off the tiny ferry from Mull I can see why St Columba
chose it as Scotland’s holy isle — this is Caledonian paradise. The medieval
abbey rises from soft greenery beneath a vast sky. Children skip on a white
sand cove lapped by a crystal-clear turquoise sea. Birdsong fills the early
evening with twitter trending for the soul.

On the map, Iona is barely a dot — 3.5 miles long, and 1.5 wide — dropped amid
the Hebrides. But the remoteness of these gorgeous island outposts is
physical not logistical even for a non-driver like me. For proof, look